Smart meters can make for smarter utility customers

Utilities have installed more than 60 million smart meters in North America in the past decade, and now they “have to figure out what to do with all the information the devices are generating,” according to this Wall Street Journal story, which includes comments from the owner of the Cleveland Brew Shop in the city's Tremont neighborhood.It's “a mind-boggling amount of data,” the newspaper says. While traditional meters were read 12 times a year by meter readers, “smart meters bombard utilities with data, often passing along meter readings every 15 minutes, or 35,000 times a year. They also alert utilities to electricity theft and dozens of other useful things.”In addition to the smart meters, “information is streaming in from the grid itself, where millions of sensors and smart controllers are giving utilities deeper, more timely information on equipment performance and power flows,” The Journal reports.Startups, too, are helping the big-data drive, according to the newspaper. A Boston company, Retroficiency Inc., “invented tools that make use of already available power-usage data to help customers cut their energy bills,” according to the story.One of its customers is Cleveland Brew Shop owner Paul Benner, who “realized he had a problem soon after opening his winemaking and brewing supply store … in Cleveland's trendy Tremont district last fall, The Journal says.From the story:He had budgeted $150 a month for utilities but was shocked when he got his first electricity and gas bills, which totaled $418.One month later, he had the results of an energy audit by Retroficiency. The audit advised him to replace 60 light bulbs with more efficient versions, install fans and a programmable thermostat, and make some other adjustments. Spending $400 on upgrades cut his utility cost in half.

"It was awesome," says Mr. Benner. "A complete no-brainer."Bennett Fisher, founder and president of Retroficiency, tells The Journal, “Utilities spend $9 billion a year on energy-efficiency programs. Their process of doing audits is very manual. We use data to make it more automated."

This and that

That sounds … different: Cleveland and Akron are serving as the test markets for SpinDoktor, a root beer flavored, malt-based beverage (8% ABV).CSDecisions.com, which covers the convenience store industry, reports that the beverage was created by D-Spin Beverages LLC, a company founded by Northern Ohio natives Blanton Unger and Dana Pawlicki.The drink “has a smooth root beer taste with an overtone of vanilla and a hint of black licorice and is sold as single 16-ounce cans,” according to the website.Some striking original artwork on the cans “was developed as an expression of extreme sports, punk rock and urban culture,” according to the story.The product is available in eight Northeast Ohio counties through Beverage Distributors Inc. It's expected to be on shelves in “a major convenience store chain” starting next month.Something's brewing: In more traditional alcohol news, Scenereports that a major expansion is underway at The Brew Kettle in Strongsville.The paper says The Brew Kettle this month began adding “five more 40-barrel fermenters, effectively doubling brewing capacity from 5,000 barrels of beer in 2012 to 10,000 in 2014.”

The expansion “tops off a year marked by big changes” for The Brew Kettle, Scene says, including changes in ownership, operations and talk of additional brewpub locations.“Our plan is to better cover Ohio and add distribution to Kentucky for any excess production,” head brewer Jack Kephart tells Scene.The Brew Kettle also is looking at releasing quarterly variety 12-packs.Revving up: Motorcycle maker Cleveland CycleWerks is about to open a dealership at its warehouse in Gordon Square.FreshwaterCleveland.com reports the startup will mark the occasion on Saturday, Oct. 5, with a party featuring food trucks, kegs of free beer and tours of the shop, which sells accessories and also repairs bikes.The shop “will be open Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, and will soon be open on Saturdays, as well,” according to the story. “The repair shop specializes in vintage British and Japanese bikes, and the staff can custom-build (Cleveland CycleWerks) bikes based on a customer's preferences. All of the company's models, including the soon-to-be-released ACE, will be on display in the store.”Owners Scott Colosimo and Jered Streng say the company now sells bikes at 40 dealerships in the United States and 15 countries.You also can follow me on Twitter for more news about business and Northeast Ohio.

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